


heat and fuel

by makaronik



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Dark Ahsoka Tano, Episode: s02e21-22 Twilight of the Apprentice, Gen, Mentioned Ezra Bridger, Sith Ahsoka Tano
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-16 04:35:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28825311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/makaronik/pseuds/makaronik
Summary: She has seen the future and will not let it happen, not again. It might be too late for her, but these two are the last Jedi and she will protect them. Not out of duty, but out of love.Or, Ahsoka makes a counteroffer.
Relationships: Darth Maul & Ahsoka Tano
Kudos: 36





	heat and fuel

They all watch in silence as the inquisitor flees, as his weapon fails, as he falls to his death. Then suddenly, in the split second after his shout echoes in the cave, time stops and she can see everything. Kanan blind, Ezra tempted by the dark, herself lost for years. And when Maul turns, faster than light, and swings his blade at Kanan, her own lightsaber stops it. 

“STOP!” she hears herself shout, voice strange and deep, “Stop and think before you act for once.” Ironic, since she has no idea what she’ll do next, acting out of pure instinct and emotion. Not just emotion, fear. She has seen the future and will not let it happen, not again. It might be too late for her, but these two are the last Jedi and she will protect them. Not out of duty, but out of love. 

He doesn’t listen, of course. He freezes for a moment, surprised that she caught him, then he jumps back and attacks, just as viciously as he’d defended them earlier. He’s focused on Kanan, but she stays between them, fighting him off by herself, stronger than ever before, fueled by the rage she feels at the pointless fate she was shown. She throws him back against the wall, holds him there, blades and eyes locked. 

“If you want an apprentice, this isn’t the way,” she continues, and now he’s paying attention.

“It’s the only way,” he snarls, spit landing on her face, sizzling out on their blades. 

“Ezra will hate you if you kill his master. He will resent you if you wound him. He will care for him more than ever, and it will root him in the light.” 

“I will train the boy.” It sounds stubborn, childish.

“Why?” she asks, quiet now, barely audible over the hum of their lightsabers, “Why do you want him when he is so weak? He might be easily distracted from the light, but his anger is too young and righteous to ever keep him in the dark.” She’s not sure if she’s lying or not, or which would be worse, “He will crash and burn, and you will be alone again.”

She understands now what she needs to do. Not needs, wants. She’d tried the Jedi way and it failed her. She’d tried to stay in the light without their guidance and failed. There aren’t many options left, and this one seems better than the alternative that she feels approaching in the distance, freezing cold already pushing back the searing, acrid burn of Maul in the force. He doesn’t quite see it yet, but he will.

Kanan does see it, or at least feels that something isn’t right, because even though he couldn’t have heard her he steps forward.

“Ahsoka,” he starts, unsure, almost, but not quite afraid. Almost, but not quite the perfect Jedi. She could laugh, but then he’d only worry more.

“Leave,” and there’s no doubt that it’s an order. She may not be a Jedi but she did lead an army once and he will listen. “Get Ezra and leave. Don’t let him take the holocron, it will tempt him.” There, a parting gift. A reason besides I want it. 

He almost argues, almost stays anyway, but then she presses harder where her sabers trap Maul, until his own blade singes the threadbare fabric on his chest, and turns her head for a short moment to look back at Kanan. Whatever he sees in her eyes convinces him, and he throws out a quiet “May the force be with you,” like he’s not sure whether he wants it to mean good luck, or good bye, then starts running to save Ezra from himself. 

Good, they’ll be safe now, away from here, from Maul. She can focus now. 

“You were right, on Mandalore, I should have joined you then. Nothing you would have done could be worse than this.” She’s never let herself even think that, never accepted it and let the force take that burden away. No, she’d kept it locked away deep inside, tangled up in the web of unprocessed feelings about the war, about Anakin, about all her friends and family in the order that she’d felt die, about the clones she’d watched die, and left it there to rot for almost half her life. Now it’s all spilling out, slimy and vile and she doesn’t know whether to gag or scream with the pain, the anger, the hate that flows through her when she finally takes the blame. She could have prevented all of it, but she didn’t. She’d doomed the galaxy to protect Anakin, and he killed it in return. Now she can only avenge it, and him, and she will. 

“Are you really going to fixate on the first child you stumble upon,” she powers her sabers down, still pressing him against the wall with the force, and falls down to her knees, “or will you take on a worthy apprentice?” Her emotions are rushing through her, but it’s not so bad now that she’s getting used to it. Now that she’s letting them sing in her veins, a song ancient and angry and hauntingly beautiful. She has enough rage and resentment inside her to fuel the whole empire, but instead she will watch it burn. Slowly she releases her grip on Maul, and strikes the match. 

“Master.” 

**Author's Note:**

> So, fun fact, this isn't either of the star wars fics I've been working on for weeks now (although one of those also starts in this episode). No, this just appeared in my head as I was falling asleep, and 3 hours later here it is.
> 
> i’m on tumblr @transmalewife


End file.
